A programme of "authentic reconstruction" of 11 historic sites in India, and the setting up of 100 experiential museums, are among ambitious plans reportedly under development by India's culture ministry. India's The Economic Times reports the Indian government will invest 270 billion Indian Rupees (US$3.8bn, €3.4bn, £3.1bn) in a five-year programme running from 2020 to 2025, about a quarter of which will go to the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI)

CLAD has learned that the South Korean government plans to trigger a building boom in the museums and cultural sector, with the construction of 140 new museums and 46 new art galleries by 2023. The policy was announced by the country's Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism. The move is part of a new five-year plan aimed at making Korean art and artefacts more accessible and doubling the proportion of

The Getty Conservation Institute (GCI) has announced it will prioritise the care and conservation of the only three museums designed by the legendary Le Corbusier. As part of its Conserving Modern Architecture Initiative, the CGI will host two workshops in India, where two of the three museums are located – the Sanskar Kendra Museum in Ahmedabad and the Government Museum and Art Gallery in Chandigarh. The third, the National Museum

Decommissioned Navy equipment could soon be used to create a family-friendly centre dedicated to maritime life after plans were submitted to develop a US$43m (€36.3m, £32m) attraction in Chicago, Illinois. Plans for Navyseum show an interactive, two-storey attraction that will span 130,000sq ft (12,000sq m) and combine a museum with an interactive playspace. Themed experience zones are connected using bridges, tubes, slides, overlook decks, and openings to offer a fun,

The Minneapolis Institute of Art (Mia) has announced it has hired David Chipperfield Architects to create a master plan for its expansion ambitions, following “a thorough and inspiring search.” The design practice will develop prospective design solutions to enhance the museum’s visitor experience and to expand public access to the museum as a community resource. They will consider how to improve visitor circulation, create new public gathering spaces, add more

The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles (NHM) has revealed its masterplan to transform the 104-year-old institution over the next decade. Designed by Frederick Fisher and Partners (FF&P), the NHM West/South Project will reimagine the physical space and programmes of the museum, which sits on the same site as George Lucas’ upcoming Museum of Narrative Art. The FF&P masterplan focuses on areas that were not worked on during the original

London’s Geffrye Museum will close in January ahead of a £18.1m (US$23.8m, €20.2m) transformation to create new spaces for its collections and library. Founded in 1914, the Geffrye Museum specialises in the history of English domestic home interiors, showing the changing styles through 11 displayed period rooms, from 1600 to the present day. Called 'Unlocking the Geffrye', the plans by London architecture firm Wright & Wright will allow visitors to

Los Angeles’ long-awaited Academy Museum of Motion Pictures has taken a big step forward this week, after media mogul Haim Saban donated US$50m (€42.4m, £37.2m) towards the US$388m (€329.2m, £288.7m) project. The donation from Haim and his wife Cheryl brings the museum’s fundraising total to US$288m (€244.3m, £214.3m) leaving it US$100m (€84.9m, £74.4m) short of its total. In recognition of the gift, the five-storey structure which will house the museum’s

San Francisco’s Asian Art Museum has unveiled a US$90m (€76.6m, £67.2m) plan to transform the institution, a project supported by the largest financial gift in the museum’s history – a US$25m (€21.3m, £18.7m) donation from Yahoo co-founder Jerry Yang. Los Angeles-based architecture firm wHY are behind the plans, which the museum says will create new interpretive approaches in its galleries, affirming the local relevance and global impact of Asian art.

London’s Natural History Museum has completed a major revamp of its main hall, with its blue whale skeleton replacing the national institution’s much-loved Diplodocus replica – a sight which has welcomed visitors to the museum for more than 37 years. The museum made the move as it aims to refresh its image, wanting to be known for living science rather than its fossil collection, with a focus on “authenticity” and

Australia’s minister for the arts Don Harwin has awarded AU$244m (US$186.2m, €164.8m, £145.4m) to the Art Gallery of New South Wales, with the funding going towards the museum’s grand AU$344m (US$262.5m, €232.4m, £205.2m) expansion. In addition to the government funding, the Sydney gallery is planning to launch a capital campaign later this year, seeking a further AU$100m (US$76.3m, €67.5m, £59.6m) in philanthropic support for the project, of which AU$70m (US$53.4m,

The team behind the development of Guggenheim Abu Dhabi have asked contractors to renew their tender bids, indicating the long-stalled development could be about to splutter back into life after several years on the shelf. Speaking to Arabian Business, a senior executive with one of the bidding companies said the Tourism Development and Investment Company (TDIC) had recently asked them to renew their bid bond. “The commercial bid was submitted

Kodak has announced plans to create a brand home in Rochester, New York, with leading design firm Jack Rouse Associates (JRA) selected to plan, design and implement the 9,000sq ft (836sq m) Experience Centre. Part of a 10-year masterplan to breathe life into the Eastman Business Park, the centre will explore Kodak’s innovations in photography, film, printing, digital imaging, and chemistry. Telling the story of the Kodak brand, the centre

Construction on a number of major new attractions in Shanghai will begin before the year is out, according to city officials. Dozens of museums and art galleries are to be built across a 67,000sq m (721,000sq ft) area in Jiading District – forming the Haishang Cultural Museum Complex. According to the Shanghai Daily newspaper, the local government is concerned that too many of Shanghai’s museums and theatres are located an

2016 has been a breakthrough year for leisure architecture, with buildings celebrated by some of the world's most prestigious architecture awards, including the World Architecture Festival Building of the Year, the Stirling Prize, the Aga Khan Awards and the inaugural RIBA International Prize. A host of incredible leisure buildings have been completed this year, including remarkable projects from the likes of Herzog and de Meuron, David Adjaye, Bjarke Ingels, Santiago

Here are some of the stories that appeared on CLAD this week, from George Lucas' latest museum designs to a construction milestone for one of Qatar's leading stadiums. Monday • International hospitality interior design firm Hirsch Bedner Associates (HBA) have announced a major expansion into Western Europe with the opening of two new offices in London. Read here. • New York studio Selldorf Architects will lead a major upgrade and

Here are some of the most popular stories that appeared on CLAD this week, from the world's tallest Ferris wheel to a high-profile planning application hampered by bats. Monday • The world's tallest observation wheel is taking shape on Dubai’s Bluewaters Island. Read here. • Architects Höweler + Yoon have proposed an interactive ‘Living Lab’ for the Dubai 2020 Expo to explore human empathy. Read here. • A pop-up preview

Two international architecture competitions have been launched to design a pair of major arts facilities for one of the biggest districts in the Chinese city of Shenzhen. The district government of Bao’an has fired the starting gun on the contests to create both a Public Culture and Arts Center and a new library and concert hall. The former is a new build project which will house a museum, art gallery

The Museum of London is looking into the possibility of opening a viewing gallery at the top of London’s upcoming 1 Undershaft. The towering skyscraper – which will be as tall as the neighbouring Shard if approved to open in 2022 – will be located in the heart of the capital's financial district. When Eric Parry Architects unveiled the plans in December 2015, the design envisioned large areas of public

The leader of South Korea’s newly-created Administrative City has launched an international architecture competition for a National Museum Complex (NMC) that will help make the destination “a global culture city”. Choongjae Lee, the city’s administrator, has vowed to build “the world's most beautiful and liveable city” through investment in architecture, technology, urban planning and design and environmental sustainability. The Administrative City, also known as Sejong, was established in 2007 and

Museum news featured heavily on our site this week, with exciting projects around the world reaching various significant milestones. Today (29 April), MVRDV’s flamboyant golden Denmark Museum of Rock Music opened in the Danish city Roskilde and international architecture studio Snøhetta released new images of their 10-storey addition to the SFMOMA in San Francisco. Earlier this week, David Chipperfield’s Nobel Center and museum received the green light from Stockholm City

Both London’s Science Museum and Natural History Museum have confirmed they are in preliminary discussions about opening satellite sites as part of the multi-billion pound Old Oak Common redevelopment in west London. The 30-year Old Oak development plan – conceived as the UK’s largest regeneration project with around 1.35sq km (0.52sq miles) of available space – will include a litany of new leisure projects including a possible new 40,000-capacity home

The foundation dedicated to conserving the work of legendary French fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent has revealed two new museums dedicated to his life and career will open in France and Morocco in 2017. The Fondation Pierre Bergé-Yves Saint Laurent will showcase part of its vast collection of accessories, haute couture garments, sketches, collection boards, photographs and objects collected by Saint Laurent between 1962 and 2002. “To this day, this

Peter Law, creative producer at design collective Flying Object and creator of Tate Britain’s IK Prize-winning Sensorium, has outlined how multi-sensory spaces can be used to create unique personal experiences. Sensorium – which utilised experts in sound, taste, scent and touch, combined with lighting and theatre elements – ran until September 2015 at the Tate Britain in London as a multi-sensory experience centred around four famous artworks. "We had an

The Frank Gehry-designed Fondation Louis Vuitton has been awarded the prize for ‘Best Architecture & Spatial Design’ at the 2015 Leading Culture Destinations Awards in London. The 126,000sq ft (11,705sq m) museum, which houses Vuitton’s private collection, has become a popular Paris attraction since opening in October 2014. The €100m (US$132m, £80m) building won the prize for Gehry’s famous ‘glass cloud’ design. The ceremony, which took place on 9 October

Real Madrid FC is pressing ahead with plans for a full redevelopment of the iconic Santiago Bernabeu stadium, complete with a skin of LEDs around the stadium, museum and nearby theme park development. Expected to take six years to complete, Real Madrid’s home stadium, redesigned by architectural firm GMP-Architekten, will be wrapped in LEDs – which will effectively operate as a huge TV screen to air the club’s greatest moments